Hanniball conquer'd, but he
knew
not afterTo use well his victorious good
fortune.

He that shall take this
part,
and with our men go about, to make that over-sight prevaile, that we
did
not lately pursue our fortune at Montcontour: Or he that shall
accuse
the King of Spaine, who could not use the advantage he had
against
us at Saint Quintin, may say this fault to have proceeded from
a
minde drunken with his good fortune, and from a courage ful-gorged with
the beginning of good lucke; loseth the taste how to encrease it, being
already hindred from digesting what he hath conceived of it: He hath
his
hands full, and cannot take hold any more: Unworthy that ever fortune
should
cast so great a good into his lap: For, what profit hath he of it, if,
notwithstanding, he give his enemie leasure and meanes to recover
himselfe?
What hope may one have, that he will once more adventure to charge
these
re-enforced und re-united forces, and new armed wit h despite and
vengeance,
that durst not, or knew not how to pursue them, being dismaied and put
to rout?

Dum fortuna calet,
dum
conficit omnia terror. Lucan. vii. 734.

While fortune is at height in
heat.And terror worketh all by great.

But to conclude, what can
he
expect better than what he hath lately lost? It is not, as at Fence,
where
the number of venies given gets the victorie: So long as the enemie is
on foot, a man is newly to begin. It is no victorie, except it end the
warre. In that conflict where Cæsar had the worse, neere
the
Citie of Oricum, he reprochfully said unto Pompeis souldiers, That
he had utterly beene overthrowne, had their Captaine knowne how to
conquer,
and paid him home after another fashion when it came to his turne. But
why may not a man also hold the contrarie? That it is the effect of an
insatiate and rash-headlong mind, not to know how to limit or period
his
covetousnesse: That it is an abusing of Gods favours to goe about to
make
them lose the measure he hath prescribed them, and that anew to cast
himselfe
into danger after the victorie, is once more to remit the same unto the
mercie of fortune: That one of the chiefest policies in militarie
profession
is not to drive his enemie unto despaire. Silla and Marius
in the sociall warre, leaving discomfited the Marsians, seeing
one
squadron of them yet on foot, which through despaire, like furious
beasts
were desperately comming upon them, could not be induced to stay or
make
head against them. If the fervor of Monsieur de Foix had not
drewne
him over rashly and moodily to pursue the straglers of the victorie at Ravenna,
he had not blemished the same with his untimely
death;
yet did the fresh-bleeding memorie of his example serve to preserve the
Lord of Anguien from the like inconvenience at Serisoles.
It is dangerous to assaile a man whom you have bereaved of all other
meanes
to escape or shift for himselfe but by his weapons; for necessitie is a
violent school mistris, and which teacheth strange lessons: Gravissimi
stint morsus irritatæ necessitatis. 'No biting so grievous as
that
of necessitie provoked and enraged.

Vincitur haud
gratis
jugulo qui provocat hostem. -- Lucan. iv. 278.

For nought you over-come him
not,Who bids his foe come cut his
throat

And this is the reason why Pharax
empeached the King of Lacedemon, who came from gaining of a
victorie
against the Mantinæans, from going to charge a thousand Argians,
that were escaped whole from the discomfiture; but rather to let them
passe
with all libertie, lest he should come to make triall of provoked and
despited
vertue, through and by ill fortune. Clodomire King of Aquitaine,
after his victorie, pursuing Gondemar King of Burgundie,
vanquished and running away, forced him to make a stand, and make head
again: but his unadvised wilfulnesse deprived him of the fruit of the
victorie,
for he dyed in the action. Likewise he that should chuse, whether it
were
best to keepe his souldiers richly and sumptuously armed, or only for
necessitie,
should seeme to yeeld in favour of the first, whereof was Sertorius,
Philopoemen, Brutus, Cæsar, and others. urging that it
is
ever a spur to honour and glorie for a souldier to see himselfe
gorgeously
attired and richly armed, and an occasion to yeeld himselfe more
obstinate
to fight, having the care to save his armes, as his goods and
inheritince.
A reason (saith Xenophon) why the Asiatikes carried with them,
when
they went to warres, their wives and concubines; with all their jewels
and chiefest wealth. And might also encline to the other side, which
is,
that a man should rather remove from his shoulder all care to preserve
himselfe, than to increase it unto him: for by that meanes he shall
doubly
feare to hazard or engage himselfe, seeing these rich spoiles doe
rather
increase an earnest desire of victorie in the enemie: and it hath beene
observed that the said respect hath sometimes wonderfully encouraged
the
Romans against the Samnites. Antiochus shewing the armie he
prepared
against them, gorgeously accoutred with all pompe and statelinesse,
unto Hanniball, and demanding of him whether the Romanes would
be
contented
with it: Yyea, verily, answered the other, they will be very well
pleased
with it: They must needs be so, were they never so covetous. Licurgus
forbad his Souldiers, not onely all manner of sumptuousnesse in their
equipage,
but also to unease or strip their enemies when they overcame them,
willing,
as he said, that frugalitie and povertie should shine with the rest of
the battell. Both at sieges and elsewhere, where occasion brings us
neere
the enemie, we freely give our souldiers libertie to brave, to
disdaine,
and injure him with all manner of reproaches: And not without apparence
of reason; for it is no small matter to take from them all hope of
grace
and composition, in presenting unto them that there is no way left to
accept
it from him whom they have so egregiously outraged, and that there is
no
remedie left but from victorie. Yet had Vitellius but had
successe
in that; for, having to deale with Otho, weaker in his
souldiers
valor, and of long disaccustomed from warre, and effeminated through
the
delights and pleasures of the Citie, himselfe in the end set them so on
fire with his reproachfull and injurious words, upbrayding them with
their
pusilanimitie and faint-heartednesse, and with the regret of their
ladies,
banquettings and sensualities, which they had left at Rome,
that
he put them into heart againe, which no perswasions or other meanes
could
doe before; and thereby drew them, whom nought could have driven, to
fight
and fall upon him. And verily, when they are injuries that touch a man
to the quicke, they shall easily urge him, who was very backward to
fight
for his Kings quarrel, to be very forward in his owne cause or
interest.
If a man but consider of what consequence the preservation and
importance
the safetie of a generall is in an Armie, and how the enemies chiefest
ayme is at the fairest marke, which is the head, from which all other
depend,
it seemeth that that counsell cannot be doubted of, which by sundrie
great
Chieftaines we have seene put in practice, which is, in the beginning
of
the fight, or in the fury of the battell, to disguise themselves.
Notwithstanding
the inconvenience a man may by this meanes incurre, is no lesse than
that
mischiefe which a man seeketh to avoid: For the Captaine being unseene
and unknowne of his souldiers, the courage they take by his example,
and
the heart they keep by his presence, is therewithall impaired and
diminished;
and losing the knowne ensignes and accustomed markes of their Leader,
they
either deem him dead, or, dispairing of any good success, to be fled.
And
touching experience, we sometimes see it to favor the one and sometimes
the other partie. The accident of Pirrhus in the battell he had
against the Consull Levinus in Italie serveth us for both uses:
For, by concealing himselfe under the armes of Demagacles, and
arming
him with his owne indeed he saved his life, but was in great danger to
fall into the other mischiefe, and lose the day. Alexander,
Cæsar,
Lucullus, loved (at what time they were to enter fight) to arme and
attire themselves with the richest armes, and garish clothes they had,
and of particular bright-shining colours. Agis, Agesilaus, and
that
great Gilippus, contrairie, would ever goe to warres meanely
accoutred,
and without any imperiall ornament. Among other reproaches that great Pompey
is charged withall in the battell of Pharsalia, this is one
speciall,
that he idlely lingred with his Armie, expecting what his enemie would
attempt; forasmuch as that (I will here borrow the very words of Plutarke,
which are of more consequence than mine) weakneth the violence that
running
giveth the first bIowes, and therewithall removeth the charging of the
Combatants one against another, which more than any other thing is wont
to fill them with fury and impetuosity, when with vehemence they come
to
enter-shocke one another, augmenting their courage by the crie and
running;
and in a manner alayeth and quaileth the heat of Souldiers: Loe-here
what
he saith concerning this. But had Cæsar lost, who might
not
also have said, that contrariwise the strongest and firmest situation
is
that wherein a man keeps his stand without budginge and that who is
settled
in his march, closing, and against any time of need, sparing his
strength
in himselfe, hath a great advantage against him that is in motion and
disordered;
and that running hath already consumed part of his breath? Moreover,
that
an armie being a body composed of so many several parts, it is
impossible
it should in such furie advance it selfe with so just a match, and
proportioned
a motion, and not breake and dis-ranke, or at least alter her
ordinance,
and that the nimblest be not grapling before his fellowes may helpe
him.
In that drearie battell of the two Persian brethren, Clearchus
the Lacedemonian, who commanded the Græcians that
followed, Cyrus his faction, let them faine and gently without
any
halt-making
to their charges, but when he came within fifty paces of his enemies he
had them with all speed to run unto it; hoping by the shortnesse of the
distance to manage their order and direct their breath; in the meane
time
giving them the advantage of the impetuositie, both for their bodies
and
for their shooting-armes. Others have ordered this doubt in their army
after this manner: If your enemies headlong run upon you, stay for them
and bouge not: If they without stirring stay for you, run with furie
upon
them. In the passage which the
Emperor Charles the fifth made into Provence, our King Francis
the first stood a good while upon this choice; whether it was best, by
way of prevention, to go and meet with him in Italie, or to
stay
his comming into France. And albeit he considered what an
advantage
it is for one to preserve his house from the troubles and mischiefes
that
warre brings with it, to the end that, possessing her whole strength,
it
may continually in all times of need store him with money, and supplie
him with all other helps; and considering how the necessity of direfull
warre doth daily enforce a Generall to make spoile of goods, and waste
the Countrie, which cannot well be done in our owne goods and countrie:
and that the countriman doth not as patiently indure this ravage at his
friends hands as at his enemies, so as seditions may ensue amongst our
onlie factions, and troubles amongst our friends: That license to rob
and
spoile, which in his countrie may not be to erated, is a great
furtherance
in a Souldier, and makes him the more willing to endure the miseries
and
toylings that follow warre: And what a hard matter it is to keep the
Souldier
in office and heart, who hath no other hope of profit but his bare pay,
and is so neere his wife, his children, his friends, and his home: That
he who layeth the cloth is ever put to the greatest charges: That there
is more pleasure in assailing than in defending: And that the
apprehension
of a battell lost in our ow ne home and entrailes is so violent, that
it
may easily shake the whole frame and distemper the whole body, seeing
there
is no passion so contagious as that of fear nor so easie apprehended
and
taken a-trust, or doth more furiously possesse all parts of man: And
that
the Cities or Townes, which have either heard the hustling noise of the
tempest or seene the sparkles of this all-consuming fire at their
gates,
or have perhaps received their Captaines wounded, their Citizens
pursued,
and their souldiers spoiled, and all out of breath, if they be not more
than obstinately constant, it is a thousand to one if in that brunt of
furie they doe not headlong cast themselves into some desperate
resolution.
Yet did he conclude and chuse this resolve for the best: First to
revoke
his forces he had beyond the Mountaines in Italie, and so stay his
enemies
approaches. For he might, on the contrairie part, imagine that being in
his owne countrie, and amidst good freinds, he had the better leisure
io
re-enforce his decayed forces, and more opportunitie to strengthen
Townes,
to munite Castles, to store Rivers with all necessaries they wanted,
and
to keepe all passages at his devotion, which done, all the wayes should
be open for him, and might by them have all manner of victuals, money,
and other habilements of warre brought him in safety, and without
convoy:
that he should have his subjects so much the more affectionate unto
him,
by how much nearer they should see the danger: That having so many
Cities,
Townes, Holds, Castles, and Barres for his securitie, he might at all
times,
according to opportunitie and advantage, appoint and give Law unto the
fight: And if he were pleased to temporize, whilest he took his ease,
kept
his forces whole, and maintained himself in safetie, he might see his
enemie
consume and waste himselfe by the difficulties which daily must
necessarily
assault, environ, and combat him, as he who should be engaged in an
enemie-countrie
and foe-land, where he should have nothing, nor meet with any thing,
either
before or behind him, or of any side, that did not offer him continuall
warre: no way nor meanes to refresh, to ease or give his armie
elbow-roome,
if any sicknesse or contagion should come amongst his men; nor shelter
to lodge his hurt and maymed Souldiers: where neither monie, munition,
nor victuals might come unto him, but at the swords point; where he
should
never have leasure to take any rest or breath; where he should have no
knowledge of places, passages, woods, foords, rivers, or countrie, that
might defend him from ambuscados or surprises: And if he should
unfortunately
chance to lose a battell, no hope to save, or meanes to reunite the
reliques
of his forces. And there want not examples to strengthen both sides. Scipio
found it better for him to invade his enemies countrie of Affrica,
than to defend his owne, and fight with him in Italie, where he
was, wherein he had good successe. But contrariwise, Hanniball
in
the same warre wrought his owne overthrow, by leaving the conquest of a
forraine countrie for to goe and defend his owne. The Athenians having
left the enemie in their owne land for to passe into Sicilie,
had
very ill successe, and were much contraried by fortune: whereas Agathocles,
King of Siracusa, prospered and was favoured by her, what time
he
passed into Affrica, and left the warre on foot in his owne
countrie.
And we are accustomed to say with some show of reason, that especially
in matters of warre the events depend (for the greatest part) on
fortune:
which seldome will yeeld, or never subject her selfe unto our discourse
or wisdome, as say these ensuing verses:

'Tis best for ill advis'd,
wisdome
may faile,Fortune proves not the cause
that
should prevaile,But here and there without
respect
doth saile,A higher power forsooth us
over-drawes,And mortall states guides with
immortall
lawes.

But if it be well taken, it
seemeth
that our counsels and deliberations doe as much depend of her; and that
fortune doth also engage our discourses and consultations in her
trouble
and uncertaintie. We reason rashly, and discourse at random,
saith Timeus in Plato: for even as we, so have our
discourses
great
participation with the temeritie of hazard.